Ruth Michaelson: Guardian Journalist on the NATO alliance summit, Trump's comments around Greenland and selling fighter jets to Turkey

Donald Trump's floating the idea of selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, despite a Congressional ban. 

The US President is in the country alongside other European leaders for a NATO summit – our Defence Minister Chris Penk is also heading there for the NATO Defence Industry Forum, and meeting counterparts from allied countries. 

Trump's suggested lifting US sanctions imposed on Turkey and a ban on F-35 sales for its purchase of a Russian air defence system, saying it’s been a loyal ally. 

The Guardian’s Ruth Michaelson told Ryan Bridge that everything Trump has said indicates he wants the sale to go ahead – whether Congress will allow it is another question. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's head to Turkey and NATO's summit taking place there.
Trump telling the Europeans, you need me more than I
need you.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
We did something in Iran. We don't need anybody's help.
I didn't even want their help. But before I asked,
they said they wouldn't be there, And in a way,
I was testing people. I was testing to see whether
or not they'd be there, because as long said that,
we help them, but I'm not sure that they'd be
there for us.

Speaker 1 (00:24):
All right, let's go to Ruth Michaelson, who is a
Turkey based journalist for The Guardian at the summit with us.
Nice to have you on the program. Ruth, how's the
reaction been so far on what Trump's been saying?

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Well, I mean, I think it's probably fair to say
that a lot of this summit is that the mood
is very much it's about keeping going with Trump happy
one way or another, whether it's the very very warm
welcome that he received from the Turkish president reget type
ed one. You know all the statements we've heard coming

(00:59):
from the Native Secretary General Mark Rutter about his sort
of excitement to show Trump the progress towards three point
five percent GDP on defense spending for NATO members, that
progress that he wants to show Trump since the last summit, obviously,
as we're starting to see some reactions from Trump's rather

(01:22):
well from some of the statements that we had from
Donald Trump when he was sitting next to Erduin at
a press conference where he began talking about Greenland and
his desire to take control of Freeland. Again, some statements
from the Danish leadership basically objecting to what Trump was saying,

(01:43):
asking that allies respect Danish sovereignty, saying that Greenland does
not for sale. But in terms of the rather warm
statements that Trump has made about Dulin and his compared
to as rather cold statements about NATA as a whole,
I think a lot of the world leaders who are
here at the summit have rather.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Christ some of this in and some of the sentiment
is it going to be backed up by action? In
other words, is Trump going to sell fire digits to Turkey?
That's what someone was riding in the Times this morning
reporting that he's going to do. Is it true?

Speaker 3 (02:21):
Well, he said during this press conference that he would
consider selling the S thirty five to Turkey, but that
was also couched within a lot of very warm promises
on also saying we don't think that from the Turkish
point of view, they don't think that this is going
to be an issue. So Trump certainly did everything that
he could in public to say that he would move

(02:46):
to have sanctions that have been in place on Turkey
since twenty twenty. This is for Turkey's purchase of a
Russian the cule system that is, from the US perspective,
incompatible with obtaining a plane like the thirty five. Trump
has said that he will, despite the objections of Congress,
he will work to have those sanctions lifted. So certainly

(03:08):
everything that he said would indicate that that he wants
that sale to go ahead. Whether Congress and Washington will
allow that is really another question.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Ruth Michaelson that is our journalist at NATO in Turkey
for The Guardian. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge,
listen live to news Talks.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
It'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast
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